Luukkonen made 26 saves in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Rangers. The Sabres chased Igor Shesterkin from the game with a five-goal first period, and while Luukkonen's shutout bid ended early in the second on a Chris Kreider power-play tally,
On the eve Opener, the New York Rangers contingent with Team USA is ready. Defenseman Adam Fox and forwards Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller are all expected to suit up for the Americans in their Thursday night opener against Finland,
Coach Mike Sullivan said that New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider will draw in for Tkachuk, who sat out the final 12:36 of the third period of their win over Canada with a lower-body injury. Tkachuk set the tone in that game with the first of three fights between the teams in the opening nine seconds on Saturday night,
Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have been longtime teammates, linemates and friends. Nine years together with the New York Rangers has resulted in incredible chemistry on and off the rink.
The top three teams in the Atlantic and Metro look fairly set. The six teams clamoring for two spots behind them are far more volatile.
The New York Rangers have an important stretch coming up after the NHL's 4 Nations Faceoff comes to a conclusion. The Blueshirts are currently three points out